Conceptualisation of a healthy mind can be done only in a healthy body and to be healthy sports is necessary.
Because of the progressive step of science traditional sports is being collapsed. In the age of computer and electronic games, outdoor games have been adversely affected. However, sports schemes of the State Government have been proved to be a milestone in encouraging traditional sports and in giving platform to sports talents.
The Sports and Youth Welfare Department of Chhattisgarh Government has launched a number of schemes, through which sports persons were getting facilities. The department conducts summer season training camps. District Sports and Youth Welfare officer Sudha Kumar said that training had been imparted in football, softball, volleyball, wrestling and archery under the summer season trainings. Students at Shakardah village were taught the skill of archery by national-level trainer.
Higher Secondary School children Sohan Sahu and Vani Dhruv, who were taking archery training, said that archery was an interesting sport and there were planning to make their career in it in future. The department had provided sports kits. Softball trainees Khileshwari Sinha, Pritesh Sahu, Tushar Dhruv and Anisha Dhruv said that they had some hesitation in the beginning, but now, they play the game boldly. Sports trainer imparts training every week regularly, they added.
To encourage rural sports talents, rural sport competitions were being organised at development block, district and State-level and those who excel in the State-level were being send to national-level. Football players of the district Varinderpal Singh Gaale and Patel said that the sports department gives every possible help. More payers would have got opportunity, if the construction of the mini stadium were completed soon, they added.
The district sports officer said that a proposal for the completion of the stadium construction and other maintenance works was sent to the directorate, soon after getting fund allotment construct of the stadium would be completed and then the mini stadium would be opened for the sports persons.
She said that the sports department provides grant to sports unions for running sports activities. A provision is there to give Rs 10,000 per year to district level sports unions, on getting recognition from the sports department, she added. Besides, travelling expenses were being sanctioned to the district sports union for taking part in the district-level championship and State-level championships.
The department organizes biennial sports festivals, in which different sports like kho-kho, kabaddi, athletics, volleyball, football, handball, netball, basketball, weightlifting, wrestling, hockey, marathon and tug-of-war are included. Wrestling player Prabhat Bhoyar had registered the name of the district at national-level, by winning a bronze medal in the competition organised at Hissar in Haryana. On the achievement, Chhattisgarh Government had provided Rs 7,000 encouragement amount to him.
Recently, Dhamtari had successfully hosted the State-level Subroto Mukherjee Football Cup competition organised by the School Education Department, at the Dr Shobharam Devangan Government Boys Higher Secondary School’s Ekalavya sports premises from June 25 to 29, in which Bastar team has been declared the winner. The department and the district administration have been making high-level efforts for hosting State-level sports competitions at Dhamtari. On the one hand, work for encouraging sports in the district are at war-footing and on the other, the State Government had successfully organised
international-level Twenty-20 cricket match (IPl) at the Shaheed Veernarayan Singh International Cricket Stadium at Parsada in Naya Raipur recently. After the massive organization of the matches, Chhattisgarh has carved a place in the international sports map. Somebody had compared it with Melborne stadium and some others said it is the excellent stadium, not only in India, but also in the world. It was the result of the strong willpower and commitment of the Chhattisgarh Government.
In order to encourage sports persons who excel in different events, various awards, including Gundadhur, Maharaj Pravirchandra Bhanjdev, Shaheed Rajiv Pandey, Shaheed Koushal Yadav, Veer Hanuman Singh, Khel Vibhuti and Shaheed Pankaj Vikram awards have been constituted in the State.